Winston Frank Stoby
Living a disciplined and committed life as a sportsman has seen Winston Frank Stoby, aka ‘Little Master’, blaze the powerlifting trail to become one of the best powerlifters Guyana, the Caribbean and Commonwealth has even seen.
Stoby proved his worth by shattering his own World Deadlift Record of 260kg achieved in Texas 2012 by setting a new record of 272.5kg when he competed in the Masters M2 74kg category at the World Masters Powerlifting championships in Orlando, Florida in September 2013. This record is still intact.
Stoby revealed that when he was going through rehab at the KingsrowBarbel Club for an injury he received while playing rugby, his trainer and gym owner, the popular weightlifter Claude Charles observed his talent and encouraged him to remain in the strongman sport. He did and the rest is now history.
When asked to give his take on what keeps him going, Stoby said that a high level of discipline has been the key to his success, not only as an athlete but in life.
Stoby’s words of advice for young athletes in the sport are: “As young and aspiring athletes wanting to achieve greatness, you have got to train in a dedicated and committed manner. You must be business-like in your approach. Even if it rains or the sun shines hot, you must be able to stick to your plan and work hard.”
He is currently preparing for a local competition in August, but will be back on the international stage at the Pan-American Championships in September in Brazil. Then he will be targeting the Commonwealth Championships in Canada in December.
And of course, being the best is what the ‘Little Master’ is aiming to become.
Trayon Denzil Bobb
Trayon Denzil Bobb is another Guyanese athlete who deserves recognition for his outstanding achievements. Born on November 5, 1993, he is considered to be one of Guyana’s most accomplished and respected football players.
Bobb, who is originally from Uitvlugt, began his competitive football career, for West Demerara at the age of 16 years during the Guyana Football Federation under-17 inter-association tournament. After this, the young athlete never looked back and kept dominating the sport.
In March 2010, Bobb led a match against East Bank netting four goals, which included a first-half hat-trick. Two months later, West Demerara defeated Georgetown 2–1 in the final of the tournament to claim the title. After scoring seven goals in the competition and finishing as the joint-top goal scorer, Bobb was named the most valuable player of the tournament. He then began attracting coaches and gaining acknowledgment for his talent.
Following a series of impressive performances during the Kashif& Shanghai knockout competition in 2010, Bobb followed Guyana national team manager Jamaal Shabazz to Trinidad and Tobago to begin his professional football career for Caledonia AIA of the TT Pro League.
In 2013, he made it to a European league when he was signed to the Premier League of Lithuania with FK Kruoja.This can be noted as one of his greatest accomplishments.
Even though the Guyanese player has been signed to both regional and international teams, he still represents Guyana’s national team – the Golden Jaguars – and is very proud of this. He even scored two goals against El Salvador for Guyana in the World Cup qualifier.
Apart from football, he said he also holds his family, friends, fans and God close to his heart. They are what keeps him going every day. His advice to young athletes is to keep working hard, stay focus, stay humble, and pray to God to keep you disciplined.
Avery Anthony Corbin
Humble, dedicated and determined are the words which can be used to best describe Avery Anthony Corbin –a key member of Guyana’s National Rugby team. The athlete only started participating in the sport eight years ago after being encouraged by one of his fellow team mates. Initially, Corbin began playing in the Guyana Defence Force Club, where he still remains a member.
The 31-year-old whose position is prop or wing, said his biggest accomplishments in rugby are helping his team beat Barbados in 2013 at the Guyana National Stadium and winning the North America championship in Mexico in the North American Caribbean Rugby Association tournament.
He noted that what made that victory stand out is that Barbados was leading Guyana in the second half of the game. “Guyana’s score was at five, while Barbados’ was 17. We turned it around in the last few minutes of the game and ended Guyana-19 and Barbados-17,” he boasted.
The rugby player said that what keeps him going is faith, courage and his family. His advice to young athletes is,“Whatever you put your mind to, stay focused, be determined and never give up. No matter what people talk about you, keep your head held high.No matter what, never stop trying.”
At the moment, Corbin is doing therapy for an ankle injury which he sustained during a practice game in Canada. However, his club will soon participate in a 7s tournament, which the rugby player is hoping to take part in. It is evident that the player has no intention of backing out of the sport he enjoys playing anytime soon, and will represent Guyana for as long as he can.
Hugh Arlington Ross
Undisputedly Guyana’s best bodybuilder of all time, Hugh Arlington Ross, despite competing as an Over-50, is still a force to reckon with on the international stage.
The former Guyana Defence Force Officer (GDF) who now resides in the USA, strutted his stuff once again and was unbeatable when he won the Masters Over-50 title at the NABBA World Championships in June.
Ross won the 2010 Mr. Universe Masters title but did not compete in 2011. In 2012, he was the World Champion and did not compete in 2013. In 2014, Ross was second at The World Championships and took the crown in 2015.
Having come from a disciplined background, Ross who hails from the Ancient County of Berbice made some changes to his body as he adapted a different diet in order to be more competitive.
He swapped some of his trade mark details/striations in favour of a few more pounds having realised that on the European scene, almost everyone goes for size. Increasing his weight and being just as striated as when he was light did not come easy according to Ross.
“In Europe, these athletes do not play with a level deck of cards but of course one does not have evidence because there is no testing here but from my experience I can tell with total clarity from one glance. To that effect it entails me working quadruple harder to be able to stand up and compete on the same stage with them. I have no problem with that, basically with my discipline and work ethics I’m always very confident,” Ross stated.
